Along the side of Route 66 in Lexington, Illinois, is an 11-foot-tall elephant sculpture made of scrap metal, titled "American Standard." It's become a photo-op, as it's listed on the Roadside America website and the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway site. According to a recent profile by NPR affiliate WGLT Radio, the artist behind the … Continue reading The man behind the scrap-metal elephant sculpture in Lexington
Category: People
Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura interred in his hometown of Gallup
A native of Gallup, New Mexico, who became a war hero in Korea and earned a Congressional Medal of Honor was laid to rest a few days ago in his Route 66 hometown. Hiroshi Miyamura, 97, died last month in Phoenix and was brought back to the town of his birth Saturday at Sunset Memorial … Continue reading Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura interred in his hometown of Gallup
Munger Moss Motel owner Ramona Lehman receives Lebanon Community Achievement Award
Ramona Lehman, owner of the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, for more than 50 years, last week received the Lebanon Community Achievement Award. Lehman earned the honor, which essentially exists as a lifetime achievement award in the city, during the 21st annual Wall of Honor Banquet in Lebanon's Cowan Civic Center. A plaque honoring … Continue reading Munger Moss Motel owner Ramona Lehman receives Lebanon Community Achievement Award
“Almost Ghosts” documentary now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video
"Almost Ghosts," the 2019 documentary that focuses on three prominent individuals on Route 66, recently became available for streaming or download from Amazon Prime Video. At last check, the film is available for as low as 99 cents here (Amazon link). Here's the trailer for the film: https://youtu.be/4kGovH88F7o Ana Ramón Rubio's film has this summary … Continue reading “Almost Ghosts” documentary now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Eviction notice served to Jax Welborn’s Route 66 Community Art Gallery, other shops in Waynesville
Jax Welborn's Route 66 Community Art Gallery, Get Your Pics on Route 66 shop and Pics by Jax Studio in Waynesville, Missouri, will close on Oct. 9 after she unexpectedly was served an eviction notice Monday from her landlord. It feels like the sudden death of a loved one," Welborn said on a Facebook post. … Continue reading Eviction notice served to Jax Welborn’s Route 66 Community Art Gallery, other shops in Waynesville
Book review: “Miles to Go: An African Family in Search of America Along Route 66”
Brennen Matthews' detailed travelogue, "Miles to Go: An African Family in Search of America Along Route 66" (Amazon link), explains the spark that led him to found and edit ROUTE Magazine. Because his multiracial family has roots in Kenya or Canada, the 280-page book published by University of New Mexico Press also provides a glimpse … Continue reading Book review: “Miles to Go: An African Family in Search of America Along Route 66”
Scenes from the Blue Whale of Catoosa’s 50th-anniversary celebration
A bunch of Route 66 aficionados have posted photographs from Saturday's 50th-anniversary party of the landmark Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma. The event included appearances by "Route 66: The Mother Road" author Michael Wallis, Dean "Crazy Legs" Walker, Ron "Tattoo Man" Jones and Blue Whale park director Liz Huckleby, to name a few. KTUL-TV in … Continue reading Scenes from the Blue Whale of Catoosa’s 50th-anniversary celebration
Photographer uses Kickstarter campaign to help publish new Route 66 book
Documentary photographer Jeff Sonnabend of Arkansas recently completed a book, "The Route 66 Primer: An Uncropped View of the Mother Road," and he's launched an online fundraising campaign to help publish it. Sonnabend shot his photos in 2020, and the book aims to be a sort of time capsule of Route 66 near the current … Continue reading Photographer uses Kickstarter campaign to help publish new Route 66 book
Longtime owner of Munger Moss Motel to receive Lebanon Community Achievement Award
Ramona Lehman, the longtime co-owner of the Route 66 landmark Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, will receive a Community Achievement Award from that city's chamber of commerce in November. According to the Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society, Lehman will be honored on Nov. 3 at the chamber's annual Wall of Honor Banquet. She was … Continue reading Longtime owner of Munger Moss Motel to receive Lebanon Community Achievement Award
NAU receives nearly $190,000 grant for “Racialized Spaces on Route 66” program
Northern Arizona University last week received a federal grant of $189,860 for its "Racialized Spaces on Route 66" for educators. According to a National Endowment for the Humanities news release, the grant will be used for "a combined virtual and residential program for 72 K–12 educators on the significance of race, place, and movement to … Continue reading NAU receives nearly $190,000 grant for “Racialized Spaces on Route 66” program